Finally hunted down this miniature whale of mine at a stout tap takeover at local place The Foundry. Titled "Big Ass Stout Day", this is one of the biggest. Six ounces poured into an 8 oz tasting glass.

Appearance (4.25) - Pours an inky brown that might as well be black, with zero light penetrating the event horizon of the beer. Surprisingly, unlike many barrel-aged beers, a reasonable finger of mocha tan head fights through and retains for a minute or so before slinking back to remain a thin ringlet of bubbles around the edge of the glass and a smattering of wispy film on the surface of the liquid. When I drink, a couple small dots of soapy foam cling to the side before sinking back down into the liquid, leaving no lacing to speak of.

Smell (4.5) - While it's missing the cinnamon punch that the non-barrel aged version has, the cinnamon is still there lurking in the background behind an up-front assault of caramel and vanilla, fudge and roasted malt. There is also a hint of whiskey, but the barrel-aging seems to come through more in those sweet notes of graham cracker and vanilla than it does as the more astringent whiskey notes. The score would be higher, but I was hoping against hope that the cinnamon would still be more assertive and blend better with the barrel. Still, it feels a bit like I'm nitpicking...

Taste (4.75) - Here, the fading of the cinnamon and presence of the barrel have reached a harmonious balance. The cinnamon and ancho chiles are subtly intertwined with big rich notes of whiskey barrel--vanilla, caramel, graham cracker--alongside a generous helping of bittersweet chocolate, fudge and roasted malt. If Abraxas were a chocolate-cinnamon cake, then Barrel-Aged is a chocolate-cinnamon cake with dulce de leche sauce drizzled over the top. Just a fantastic tasting beer. But I still want more cinnamon--always more cinnamon.

Mouthfeel (4.5) - Full-bodied and moderate-to-low carbonation, but with enough for the CO2 to provide a nice counterpoint to the more viscous nature of the beer. A little less body than the non-barrel aged version, but that is to be expected. Lingering sweetness on the finish, but subtle.

Overall (4.5), a fantastic beer. It's hard to compare directly to it's base because the barrel aging makes them so fundamentally different, but if I were forced to choose one or the other for the rest of my life, I would probably lean towards regular Abraxas. Still, this is a classic case of splitting hairs--both are excellent beers that have very little room for criticism.